First of all, it’s always great to read a non-Eurocentric inspired fantasy, and I really enjoyed the new (to me) elements this brought to this story. I learnt so much about the history of real countries I didn't know about, plus it added loads of interesting fantasy elements. 
 
It does make use of some pretty unoriginal tropes, BUT they're embellished enough to make them feel fresh. Some of these definitely veered very close to typical romantasy vibes, but didn't quite get there which I was relieved about - but there's nothing wrong with a bit of romantasy!
 
I thought some of the character decisions Chakraborty made were a bit weird. It was a bit wild how much Nahri cared about

Khayzur's death after knowing him for such a short amount of time and thinking he was a traitor 5 minutes before his death.

It makes sense that she'd care, but it did seem a bit over the top.
 
It was also kind of weird that Dara didn't try to stay around Nahri more in the palace, surely he had the right to as her protecter?? Or would just be barging down doors to get to her?
   
Despite these things, I did really enjoy this book. The writing style was entrancing, and I had such a good time reading it. I found it difficult to put down and really enjoyed the twists and turns in the narrative. 
 
On to the next!